


Not All Those Who Wander

by Queenofthedragonsharks



Category: Mad Max Series (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Life Partners, Platonic Love, fury road - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-11
Updated: 2015-07-23
Packaged: 2018-04-08 21:02:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4320585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queenofthedragonsharks/pseuds/Queenofthedragonsharks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Furiosa never thought she'd find a true home again. Neither did Max.</p><p> </p><p>This started out as a one-shot and turned long. Focusing on the rebuilding of the citadel, and the relationships of those who survived Fury Road. </p><p>Drop me a line, tell me what you think!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The long road home

She was dying.  
Max could see her life slipping away as easily as water through the sand.  
She was dying.  
“She’s hurt real bad.”  
Back in the race to the pass, the girl, Cheedo, had leaned out and called to him. Because she must have known that he would kill every last person who stood in his way in order to get back to her. And then there had been screaming metal and screaming voices, and he had reached her in the end. Taking hold of her and feeling his chest flood with relief, because she wasn’t dead yet. She had killed the man who chased them, the one Max didn’t know as anything but a name. And she had killed him, the one the desperate boys called a god.  
And now they were driving, safe for a time. Because the boy who had taken his blood had died for them, spinning metal and fire. And she was dying.  
If he believed in a God he would have prayed. He would have prayed for her to live. But he believed in nothing but fire and blood and screeching engines, and so he gave her what he could give. He gave his blood, and he gave his name. He gave his name for the first time since he could remember. Because he didn’t know much anymore, but he knew that he trusted her, and he knew that he would die for her. And he didn’t know why, but he thought that might not matter all too much in the end. His name was Max, and he was mad, and he was feral, and he should be dead 20 times over. And she would not die today.  
Furiosa. He hadn’t known her name until moments ago. When the girl with the red hair, the one called Capable, had whispered it like a prayer when he told them to keep her awake. They had fought side by side like they had known each other for years, and he hadn’t known her name, or she his. So it was only fair that he tell her who he was.  
“Will she live?” Cheedo looked at him with wide eyes, clinging to the one called Dag like her life depended on it. He tried to answer, but he had run the last of his words dry. He closed his eyes, grunted, and forced his mouth to form words.  
“Maybe. Done all I can.”  
“She’ll live. She’s strong. She's strong like the canyons. She’s going to live.” The girl with the short hair and the sharp eyes spoke in a low voice, an angry voice. Angry at death for trying to take even more from them. He searched for her name in his head. He wasnlt good with names. He had heard her sisters call her Toast. He tried to file the name away, to remember it. He didn’t know why.  
“That’s our Furiosa. She’s fighter.” The old woman who was driving shook her head. “She’s a fighter. And she’ll have his blood. Good strong blood.”  
“High octane crazy blood. That’s what Nux said.” Capable looked at him. “They took your blood from you, and now you’re giving it to her willingly.”  
He shrugged, still holding Furiosa. She felt so light in his arms. All of the rage and hardness and fire flickering as her body struggled to live. Without thinking he pressed his forehead to hers again, trying to will life back into her body along with his blood.  
At some point sleep took him, although it shouldn’t have. But his body was tired, and his blood was going to another, and he fell asleep leaning on the wall, still holing Furiosa like he was afraid that she’s disappear if he let go.  
“She’s breathing easy now yeah Ringer?” Dag looked at the Vuvalini who was leaned up against the wall watching the sleeping pair closely.  
“Yes.”  
“We’re almost there…” Cheedo pointed to the silhouette of the citadel against the sky, shuttering slightly. “What will happen when we get back?”  
“Let’s hope it involved adoring masses and an easy change of power. I’m sure they’ll just roll over and welcome us gladly.” Dag gave a low laugh, like she didn’t expect that to happen.  
“He’s dead. Their god is dead. Who knows what they’ll do. Maybe they’ll call Furiosa the new god…” Cheedo bit her lip. Capable shook her head.  
“She won’t like that. She won’t let them call her a god…if she lives.”  
“She’ll live.” Toast crossed her arms. “She already looks better. His blood will keep her alive for now.”  
“He loves her.” Cheedo looked out the window, watching the desert passing by outside.  
“Maybe. Don’t know if you could call it love though. I think it’s something more primal then that.” Ringer gave a small, sad smile.  
“He loves her.” Cheedo said again.  
Capable touched Cheedo’s hair and smiled, staring at the horizon with eyes that were holding tears. Tears for Angharad and the Vuvalini who had died in the pass, and tears for Nux. Witness me.  
“We’re going back. I never thought we’d go back. How can we go back? The place is poison…” Toast looked at her hands.  
“We’ll make it ours. We’ll take the poison away, and we’ll make it like the green place we imagined.” Cheedo set her jaw, determination etched on her young face. “We’ll make it a safe place, where people can grow up and grow old in peace.”  
The Vuvalini exchanged a brief glance and smiled. Hope was a rare thing out here. But it wasn’t lost forever.


	2. Been a long time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furiosa kept time well.  
> And a man who she thought gone forever returns  
> Warning for mentions of self harm in this chapter.

Furiosa kept time well. She could count days and months and years. When she had been taken she had cut into her flesh, a notch for every day, starting with her legs and working up, cutting with whatever she could find, her own nails when she had nothing else. Tiny cuts close together. And then she had been in a vault, and she had been silent fury and fierce love, and she had watched those she called her new sisters suffer, and she had watched them die, and she had been a rock face, immovable, watching from deep inside herself. And she had vowed to never forget where she was from, but as time went on she had begun to wonder if she had ever been elsewhere. And only the cuts had told otherwise. And she had loved so deeply and lost so much, and eventually she hardened herself. Her hope dried dup like the water under the sun. She kept keeping time with her own flesh. Even if he forbid it. She kept time and she hid herself deeper and deeper until she wasn’t sure who she was anymore.  
And she was the fury, and she was the dust, and she was the blood on the sand.   
And she wasn’t free, but she was out of the vault.   
And she had almost lost who she was.  
But they were not things.  
They told her that, and something hidden had reared its head and reminded her that she was the fury, but she was her own. And all of her old rebellion came back to her then. The part of her that she had thought crushed forever under the desert sun. She was Furiosa of the Vuvalini, and she had see the Green Place, and she had tried to return so many times until she was broken from the trying. And she had become an Imperator, and she had survived. But they were not things and they were hope, and she would try one more time, and die if she had to.   
She had stopped keeping time with blood eventually. Instead she had etched the days into her rig, once she had it. And now she would return. Furiosa of the Vuvalini.   
Redemption.  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx  
She kept time well, and she knew how many days it had been since Joe’s death. She knew how long they had been at the Citadel, making it anew. But she didn’t know by cutting herself, or carving into metal. She knew because they kept records. She knew because Cheedo had decided that they needed to record what had been with more than just flesh. She had begun the painstaking process of record keeping, finding a room and writing on the walls the floors, the ceiling, aided by her sisters. Furiosa had winced when she saw her name at first, her face painted onto stone. But Cheedo had been proud. They had drawn Max as well, although his face never seemed to stay the same in the mind. Max. He had told her his name, but she didn’t remember. It was only later that the girls had recounted to her what had happened once she lost consciousness. How he had told her his name like it was a prayer that would keep her safe. She remembered him holding her though. She remembered whispering what she had thought were her dying words. Home.   
She knew why he had to leave. She had found her redemption. He was still searching. But it hurt. She wondered how she could care so much about someone who she had known for such a short time. They had understood each other, and that was what mattered.  
“Osa!” A small voice behind her, and she turned to find Keeper looking up at her with wide eyes. She already looked so much like Dag. Furiosa had assumed that Dag would name her daughter Angharad, but when the time came the young woman had shaken her head, and said that there was only one Angharad. And so she was Keeper, named for an old woman who held seeds, and named for a joke. When she had been born, Dag had taken one look at her, laughed, and pronounced that this one was a keeper.   
“Keeper, slow down!” Dag rounded the corner behind her daughter. “She’s 3 years old and she’s already faster than me. What do I do with that?!”   
“Get faster.” Furiosa gave a small smile and touched the girls head. “Otherwise you’ll be running after her for the rest of your life.”   
“Sounds delightful. At least it'll keep me fit.”  
“Osa.”  
“That’s my name. Or part of it.”  
“She doesn’t get sarcasm yet, so I’d hold off.”  
“Eh, best start them early. Any daughter of yours should be mastering sarcasm as soon as she comes out.”  
“Lord Furiosa!” The war boy, no, not a war boy anymore, she had to remember that, rounded the corner.   
“Just Furiosa Gluck. What is it?” She ran a hand through her hair. She had been letting it grow out, braiding feathers and beads into the strands like Valkyrie had done. Like she herself had done before she was taken. Lord Furiosa. She had been easing out of leading ever since things got stable. Letting the sisters take over each using their strengths. Not only the sisters. The women who had once been milking mothers now led as well, and those who had been the wretched. She was determined that there would be many voices. She didn’t want to replace one leader with another. She was fine with defenses and a spot on the council. Most of the ex war boys insisted on viewing her as the leader though. They wanted a leader. They saw her as someone who had killed their god. It was going to be a long road.   
“There’s trouble down at the eastern entrance. Some crazy wanderer trying to get in. He don’t talk much at all, and he’s giving all the boys cause to want and smack him before-“  
“Alright Gluck, I understand. Why does this need my attention?”  
‘Well he keeps saying your name, and then mumbling. We figured that might need your attentions yeah?”  
She exchanged a look with Dag.  
“Furiosa, d’you think-“  
“I don’t think anything Dag. Let’s just see.” She refused to let herself believe what she was thinking was true.   
The walk down through the citadel had never seemed longer. Dag trailed behind her, holding Keeper on her hip. By the time they reached the eastern entrance Furiosa felt completely out of order.   
She saw Cheedo first, speaking animatedly to one of the boys. When she caught sight of Furiosa she ran towards her.  
“It’s him.”   
And it was. Ragged, filthy, shifting from foot to foot likes a caged animal. Max. He was almost unrecognizable, but she knew it was him. He saw her and shook off the boys who were holding him. His eye started to the ground before coming up to meet hers.  
“Hey.”   
“Hey Max.” She walked forward without thought and pressed her forehead t his. He tensed for a moment, but leaned into her, taking a long breath.   
“Long time Furiosa.” His voice was ragged. She hid a smile.  
“Long enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! Tell me what you think


	3. In the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furiosa welcomes Max to the Citadel. Comfort is discovered in strange places.

He followed her up through the Citadel, saying nothing, just watching. Cheedo was walking slightly ahead of him, occasionally looking back and smiling slightly. Dag was right beside him, still holding her daughter. Unlike Cheedo, she kept talking.  
“So, decided to come back, eh road warrior?”  
“Mm.”  
“And you still don’t talk much. Hey Keeper, this is good old Max. We gals call him mad max. Only know his name cause he told your aunty Furi. You’ve heard stories about this one yeah?”  
“Ax! Ax!” she waved her plump fists in the air.  
Furiosa looked back and saw what might have been a smile skitter across his face. He cleared his throat.  
“Keeper?”  
“Yeah. Because this one's a Keeper. Or that was the joke. And because of seeds. Or the Keeper of the seeds to be exact.”  
“Good name.”  
“Well I thought so. “  
“Why are you back?” Cheedo finally spoke up, falling back and taking Keeper from Dag. Max shrugged, looked at the floor.  
“Needed…needed to…Supplies.”  
“And that’s the only reason?”  
“Only one I’m saying.”  
“You look like shit and smell twice as bad.” Dag bit her lip. “Furiosa, what do we do with him? The rest of the gals can’t be seeing him like this.”  
“He doesn’t look much different from when we met him the first time.” Cheedo laughed.  
“Well, second time's a charm.”  
Max met Furiosa’s eyes and raised an eyebrow. She cleared her throat.  
“I’ll take him to get cleaned up. Why don’t you two go find your sisters and tell them about this development? It’s late now, but I’m sure there’s time for a reunion tomorrow.”  
“Right thing boss.” Dag smiled as they left and leaned closer. “This way you can have some time alone with him. You can thank me later.”  
“What’d she say?” Max was next to her, shifting from foot to foot. She shook her head.  
“Come on.”  
The Citadel was busy this time of day, and everyone was looking at the new addition. Max cleared his throat.  
“Didn’t expect much of a welcome.”  
“Why not? You’re all over the history room.”  
“What?”  
“Nothing. Listen, they, we all thought you were gone forever. It’s nice to know you’re alive.”  
“Can’t stay.”  
“I know.” She looked at him again. “You brought me back from the dead Max. I’m just glad I have a chance to thank you with more than a nod. Here we are” She opened the door to her room. It wasn’t much, but it had a small pool with a spigot that released a stream of water, and that was something indeed. When Max looked at her she shrugged. “Figured you wouldn’t want to use the common baths. You can clean up in here. I’ll be in my office. Just through this door. She bent to go through the tool box she kept on hand, and found what could be used as a razor, if you were feeling brave. “Best just to shave off the beard at this point. Let me know when you’re done. You can get a proper bath later, when the communal area's less busy.” With that she closed the door of her office and slumped down at her desk, staring at the wall. 

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Max stared at the water, reaching out to touch it and letting it run over his hand.  
“There’s soap next to the faucet.” Her voice came through the door, and he winced. Not used to voices other than the ones in his head.  
Soap. He hadn’t seen soap in years. The stuff he found wasn’t what he remembered, but it smelled nice and it was more then he had thought he’d see again, so that was something.  
He was back. What the hell he was thinking he would never know. He hadn’t meant to come back. It had happened without him really realizing. He had been alone in the wasteland with his voices and his car, and then the Citadel had come into sight on the horizon, and instead of turning around he had put his foot to the gas.  
He told himself it was for supplies. But he needed to know they were all right. That she was all right.  
The dirt was part of him. It would take more than this to clean him off. But he cut his hair and beard as best as he could manage. Might as well cut it when he could. It would grow out again once he was back in he wastes.  
“I can get you some clean clothes later, if you want.” The door muffled her voice slightly. He didn’t want to admit the relief he felt at hearing it.  
She looked good. She looked like she had found some sort of closure. There was an easy confidence to her gate, although she still held herself like she expected a fight at any minute. Her hair had grown out. He didn’t know how long he had been gone.  
“If you can I’d take em.” He shook his head, watching the water drops spray in different directions. She hadn’t needed to go into her office while he cleaned off. He had a feeling she had just needed a moment. He was glad she had gone. He didn’t want her to see the scars. As if she had read his thoughts she opened the door and gave a small smile.  
“Well, you look a little less mad.”  
“You look…healthy.”  
“Heh. Thanks. You know, I didn’t think you’d come back.”  
“Neither did I.”  
“It’s getting late now Max. I think the girls will want to see you tomorrow. But I’m assuming you want to decompress.”  
“Thanks.”  
“Are you hungry? I already ate.”  
“I’ll eat if it’s no trouble.”  
“None at all. We passed the kitchen on the way here. The big arched door, did you see it?”  
He nodded.  
“You can go down there and tell them I said to give you standard dinner rations.”

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

It took a while for Max to get back. She assumed he had found some corner to eat his dinner in. maybe he wouldn’t come baclk at all tonight. But a moment later there was a knock at the door  
“I made you a bed in here.” She opened the door, glancing at him. She had figured he would be more comfortable here than in one of the domritories. He nodded.  
“It’s not much, but it should do.” She gestured to the pile of blankets on the floor. Max nodded again, gave a small smile  
“I’m used to much worse.”  
Furiosa chuckled, filling her hands with water and splashing it on her face. She set to undoing the harness of her new arm, sighing in relief when it was off and rolling her shoudlers.  
“Sore?’” Max gestured at her shoulder.  
“Yeah. It’s a fair amount of weight to haul around.”  
“Aloe helps.” He looked at the floor, and then glanced back up at her.  
“Aloe…we grow that here. I’ve used it before. Dag loves it.”  
“I used to have a patch of it. In a garden. Long time ago. You can still find it in the wastes sometimes.”  
She didn’t ask about why or where he had kept a garden, just nodded  
“I’ll get some tomorrow. I found some clothes while you were gone.” She handed him the worn shirt and patched trousers. “I have something to finish up in my office. Feel free to settle down for the night.”  
She finished her work quickly. When she came back out Max was settled under the blankets, his dirty clothes on the floor. He was wearing the new clothing she had given him, and he still had his boots. Ready to go at any moment. He was staring at the ceiling, but sat up when she came in.  
“We’ll fix up your car, give you some provisions.”  
“Thank you.” He met her eyes for a moment. “Furiosa.” With that he turned his back to her and laid back down.  
She smiled for a long moment before slipping off her boots and settling into her own bed. There was a strange sort of comfort to knowing he was there. A sense of feeling his prescence without looking. She drifted to sleep easier then she had in a good while. 

It was long into the night when she heard him jolt awake. He gasped like a drowning man, crying out, and she was up and tense with her hand on a knife before she had even registered what was happening. In the dim light of the moon she could make him out. He was standing with his blankets thrown off around him, eyes glinting. His breath came in ragged gasps. He looked wild. He looked mad. She spoke carefully.  
“Max, it’s me. You’re safe.” She spoke to him like he was a wounded animal.  
“Furiosa?” He was sliding back into himself, coming back together. She let out a small sigh of relief.  
“Hey. Rough dreams?”  
He grunted. Now that the tension and panic were wearing away he seemed shrunken. Furiosa could see the fast rise and fall of his body as he sucked in air. She moved towards the other end of her bed, pulling the blanket aside.  
“Here. Sometimes having another person next to you can help with the dreams. If you want.” She waited, unsure what he would do. This was the man who had come to them mad and near broken. The man who lived half inside his own head. But he was also the man who had fought by her side. The man who had given her his blood, and held her, whispering his name even though she couldn’t hear it. The girls had told her how he had held onto her like he was afraid she would die if he let go. So she waited.  
He stood still, considering. And then he nodded.  
“If you don’t mind.”  
“Not at all.”  
He nodded slowly, let go of the blankets he had been crushing in his hands. His weight bowed the bed slightly, and he moved in jerky movements. He moved like a warrior. It took him a moment to settle in, carefully setting his weight down, his back towards her. With a sigh he pulled the blanket over his shoulder. She felt his leg brace brush against her ankle. He smelled like Dag’s soap. And underneath that, of scorched sand and oil. She sighed.  
“Get some rest Max.” she turned on her side so her back was against his, closed her eyes. It helped to have someone next to you. Helped the terrors. She had had a sister when she had been imprisoned in the dome. A sister who curled in bed with her every night. They clung together, and in that way they had fought off the dreams. The hot sun had scorched away her name. The hot sun had scorched away the names of all of her sister’s from that time. Or maybe she had forgotten them on purpose. Who could know anymore? 

Xxxxxxxxxx

Max lay awake, trying to calm his breathing. Furiosa’s back was pressed against his, and the comfort in that was unusual. It had been a long time since being near someone had made him feel safe. If he slept the dreams would come again. He wasn’t used to sleeping. He would close his eyes for brief periods, always ready to move. He had almost forgotten how. Get some rest. She said it to him softly. The same as she had when they had fought together on the fury road. Her voice had followed him through the wastes. And it had led him back here. He closed his eyes and tried to will the dreams away. He didn’t want to wake up and forget were he was. He didn’t want to wake and attack Furiosa. He had just decided to move back to the floor when his mind finally drifted into sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this got a lot of hits in a short amount of time...  
> love y'all!


	4. Many Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max wanders the Citadel.

Furiosa woke up to cold morning light and a moment of confusion. It took a breath for her to remember that Max was in bed with her, his back still pressed against her. Carefully, she sat up, shrugging the blankets off. He was breathing deeply, sleeping like he was ready to jump at any moment. She smiled softly.  
“Fool.”  
The air was chill when she slid out of bed, carefully climbing over Max. He stirred when she got up, and opened his eyes. She saw the same confusion rush across his face before realization set in. She finished putting on her arm.  
“Sleep alright?”  
“Well enough. Didn’t dream.”  
“Neither did I. That-“ There was a knock on the door, and she sighed.  
“Furiosa you in there?” It was Darana.   
Furiosa creaked the door open and absently brushed a strand of hair out of her face.  
“Good morning. I was just waking up.”  
“Slept late girl! Not like you. You may have forgotten your promise of Breakfast company, but the girls certainly haven’t. What kept you in bed so long?”  
“I slept well. Made it harder to wake up.”  
“Uh huh.” The older woman peered over her shoulders, and Furiosa didn’t bother to try and block her view.   
“Oh. So that’s where you’re keeping your boy eh?”  
“He couldn’t sleep.”  
“Don’t worry, not a peep from me. Good morning to you road warrior.” She smiled at the now sitting Max, who froze for a moment before giving a small wave.   
“I’m going to breakfast. You’re welcome to come.” Furiosa looked at Max, who shook his head.”  
“I’ll be fine.”   
“Alright. Don’t fall off the edge of the citadel while I’m gone.”  
The door shut with a click, and Darana snorted.   
“Looks like Dag wins.”  
“What?  
“Nothing. Just get moving girl.”  
Breakfast was in the room where the milking mothers had once been kept. They had reclaimed it, making the room, which they had hated, into a haven at the top of the world. The sun was already fairly high into the sky. She really had slept late. The sisters were waiting for her, along with Ringer. She noticed that Mala and Jag were there as well.   
“You’re late.” Toast was holding Keeper, bouncing the child on her knee. As she spoke she causally passed the girl to Mala, who kissed her little head. The child was doted on shamelessly. She was a daughter to women who had never had one, a daughter to women who had lost their own. She was a miracle. Capable had called her a clear spring in a wasteland, and maybe that was true. Whatever the case Keeper’s feet hardly touched the ground. The girl waved at her and gave a little smile.   
“I know. Didn’t mean to sleep so long.” She settled down on one of the mats that surrounded the long low table. The food was already out, such as it was. A pitcher of water, and a steaming crock of Cheedo’s strange porridge. Once she was settled Dag handed her a bowl.   
“Any particular reason for that?”  
“Not that I can think of Dag.”  
“I thought we might see Max this morning.” Cheedo was the picture of innocence, and Furiosa had to stifle a chuckle.   
“Actually, I was wondering where he was.” Dag took a small bite of porridge. “He wasn’t in any of the dormitories last night… I wonder where he slept?”   
“He slept in my room.” She saw no point in lying. Dag gave a victorious cry and turned to Toast.  
“I told you! You lost the bet. You’re taking my watch tonight.”  
“You’re placing bets now are you?” Furiosa sighed.  
“Now and then. Hah, I knew it Toast.”  
“Not so fast.” Mala passed Keeper to Jag. “You haven’t got the specifics. Toast may still have a chance.”   
“Yeah, where in your room? Save me from Dag's gloating.”  
“He slept on the floor-“  
“Told you Dag-“  
“For the first part of the night at least.”  
“What’s that you were saying Toast?”  
Cheedo giggled and the older women exchanged a glance. Furiosa took a sip of water.   
“What does that mean, pray tell?” Ringer smiled.  
“I’m not here to gossip. Ask Max yourself if you’re curious. We have other things to discuss.  
“Ask him? Mala and I still haven’t seen this mysterious warrior you know.” Jag shook her head. “Anyway, you’re right. We have more interesting things to talk about.  
And so they spoke of the Citadel’s growth, and the problems they had to face. And once that was aside, they fell into talking about old pains and new hopes. As they always did. Furiosa would never stop being thankful that she could sit and talk with women again. She had missed that for a long time.   
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Max wandered the citadel, not knowing where he was going. Last time he had been here the whole place had smelled like fear and madness. Now…he could still see what it had been, but it was changing. He ignored the glances he got as he walked, and tried to push away the panic that being here again brought him. He walked past various people working on cars. The clang of metal and the sound of sparks. He didn’t let himself stop long enough to look. Eventually the din died down, until he only heard a single clanging noise. He was in a long hallway, and at the end he could see light. A room with a window maybe. He peered through the door and found himself looking at a lone mechanic working on a bike. She was crouched by the machine, balanced on the balls of her feet. A wrench in one hand and engine grease smeared on her nose. She looked up and met his eyes, and for a moment his mind scrambled to recover her name, and then he had it. Toast. She tilted her head and smiled around the toothpick she was chewing on. She was wearing a colorful scarf wrapped around her face and over her head like a hood.   
“Afternoon Max. Been a while. Mind helping me with something?”  
He blinked and grunted.  
“Gonna have to give me a real answer. With words.”  
“No. I mean, I don’t mind helping you.” He crouched next to her, looking at the bike.  
“It’s a nice machine.”  
“Yeah. Built it myself. Been working on it for a while. It’s almost done now. Ringer helped me figure out the design. It should go fast as hell but keep its balance.”   
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah.”   
He glanced around the room, taking in the cluttered workbenches and the colorful woven...things hanging from the walls.  
“It’s my workroom. Hand me that bolt. No, the bigger one. Yeah.”  
She took it from him and closed one eye, focusing on her adjustment.   
“You staying long?”  
“Not long, no.”  
“Well, I guess seeing you for a bit is better than never seeing you again at all yeah? Here, I need that wrench” She held her hand out, and he went to hand it to her. A voice in his head interrupted. A girl’s voice, and he dropped it to the floor. Toast glanced at him and picked it up.  
“Don’t damage the goods.” She gave him a half smile, and he found himself returning it.   
They worked in silence for a long while, the sun filtering through the high window. Max let himself get lost in the rhythm of the work, enjoying the quiet it gave him. After a while Toast cleared her throat.  
“So, you and Furiosa?”  
Max dropped the spanner he had been holding and coughed.  
“What?”   
“Staying in her room. I lost a bet you know.”  
“Ah.” He wasn’t sure what to say, so he waited for her to speak again.  
“You look like I caught you in the headlights.”  
“Think she knew that I’d feel better there.” He ran a hand through his hair, running grease through it in the process. “What bet?”  
“Dag and I had a wager. She figured you’d be in bed with Furiosa by the first night. I disagreed. Looks like I lost.”  
“We slept.” He shrugged.   
“Whatever you say.”  
Max didn’t know how much time passed. They worked in on and off silence, Toast occasionally asking him for a particular part. The sun was high in the sky when she cleared her throat again.  
“Hey Max?”  
“Mmm?”  
“Why are you back?” She handed him a wrench she was done with as she spoke  
“Dunno. Supplies."  
“You wouldn’t come back just for supplies. That wouldn’t be practical at all. Getting back here from wherever you were would take a lot of guzzaline. You’ve survived on your own for a long time I'm guessing, so you know how to take care of things out there. So I don’t think that’s the real reason.” She bit her lip, and Max found himself giving a small smile.   
“Smart. See right through me.”   
“Wouldn’t go that far. You're not easy to see through.”  
“Maybe not. But neither are you.” He was going to say more, but someone cleared their throat in the doorway, and they both turned. The redheaded girl, Capable, was leaning on the doorframe. She smiled when she saw him  
“Good to see you again. It’s dinner time, and Furiosa was hoping to rope our lone warrior into a private engagement with the girls. She told me he might run away if I asked though.”  
He stood and stretched, shifting from foot to foot.   
“No, I’ll come.”  
“Yeah, we’ve worked up an appetite.” Toast stretched, taking off her scarf and laying it over the bike.  
“The bike looks good Toast.” She stepped forward and took Max’s hands in her own. He tensed slightly, but didn’t pull away.   
“Thanks for coming back.”  
“Ehmm…you’re welcome?”   
“Come on. Let’s get you fed, alright?”  
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Furiosa looked up when they came in. Max looked nervous, flanked by Capable and Toast. She hoped he wouldn’t be upset by the amount of people. Ringer and Darana, all of the girls, as well as Mala, Jag, and Mica, another ex milking mother who had wanted to come along and see Max. Or as they put it “Furiosa’s man.”  
Furiosa always had a private breakfast with the girls, at least when she was up for it, but dinner was normally public. They ate in the mess like everyone else. But as Dag had said, tonight was special. She just hoped Max didn’t run away.   
“And there he is at last. Been here a day and a half mate, and we just get a sit down now?” Dag had Keeper on her lap, and she smiled when she saw Max.   
“He was helping me with the bike.” Toast shrugged. “So what’s for dinner?”   
“Well, believe it or not, it’s the stew we have every Monday.” Cheedo gestured to the large pot on the table, and the flat hard crackers. Furiosa noticed Max staring at the pitcher of water. Ringer stood, and walked to Max, shaking his hand.  
“It’s good to see you again Road warrior.”  
“Yeah. Eh, thanks for the meal.”   
Capable nudged him forward, and he sat down cautiously next to Furiosa. Toast and capable threw themselves down.   
“Max, you already know all of us, and Darana and Ringer too. But these lovely ladies are Mala, Jag, and Mica. They’ve been dying to meet you.” Dag swept her arm around the table. Master of showmanship that one. Max nodded, cleared his throat.  
“Sorry. I’ve forgotten how to do pleasantries.”  
The women laughed, and Max looked surprised, before giving the slight smile Furiosa was growing fond of.   
“Looks like you haven’t forgotten a tad of deadpan humor though.” Dag bounced Keeper on her knee. “Dig in.”  
A few moments passed as everyone went about serving themselves and eating. The girls talked, and a few questions were directed at Max, who answered with mostly single words. To Furiosa's surprise and relief she saw him smile a few times, laugh at the Dag's jokes in his quiet way. He kept glancing at Keeper, and finally Dag cleared her throat.  
“She’s something right?”  
“What? Ah, yes.”  
“Here, why don’t you hold her?” Dag plopped Keeper into Max’s lap. He froze, briefly panicked, before settling slightly and bringing his arms up to steady the girl.   
“Do I…Do I need to support her head?” he looked at Keeper in concern. Dag laughed  
“No, she got past the floppy stage quite a while ago.”  
“Right, of course. That doesn’t last too long. How old is she?”  
“Three.”  
“Good age.” His eyes darted to the ceiling, and then back to Keeper. “They start to grow into themselves at that age.” His voice dropped off at the end, barley more than a whisper, and absently brought a hand up to brush some of the child’s hair out of her face, a strange expression dancing across his eyes. Dag exchanged a glance with Capable.   
“Yeah, they do. She likes you.”  
Furiosa watched him carefully, wondering about what was going through his head. He didn’t talk for the rest of the meal, just sat in relatively comfortable silence. Keeper, for her part, seemed completely content, settled comfortably on Max's lap, playing with his jacket and occasionally whispering some half nonsense words to herself. Max would occasionally look down at her and give a small smile. At one point Cheedo nudged Furiosa and gestured with her chin towards Max, who was speaking softly to Keeper as she held onto his finger, apparently believing no one was watching him. His eyes looked damp, although that may have been a trick of the light. It was only when the moon was well into the sky that Dag stood and stretched.  
“Sorry to tear you two apart Max, but she’s far past her bedtime at this point. So are we, for that matter.”   
“Course. Sorry. Here you go.” He handed the now sleepy Keeper back to her mother. The girl wrapped her arms around Dag's neck, resting her chin on her mother's shoulder. The rest of the women stood as well.  
“Alright, well all of you rest well.” Furiosa stood, only than realizing that she was tired as well. It had was a long day. Max stood with her, shifting from foot to foot.   
“Thanks for the meal.” He nodded to the women. Keeper, who had been dozing off, opened one eye.  
“Bye bye Ax.” She waved a small hand and gave a sleepy smile. Max blinked and gave a small wave of his own. As he followed Furiosa out the door, she heard him whisper something to himself  
“Sweet dreams keeper.” He said it like the words wouldn’t quite come. Like it was a memory he was just rediscovering.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Max and Toast would be the biggest of bros. Don;t deny it. Glad people are liking this. Just a note on the new characters. Darana and Ringer are the two surviving Vuvalini, and Mala Jag, and Mica are ex milking mothers, and maybe they were wives in the past. Mala and Jag are sisters. Anyway, much love, and tell me what you think:)  
> Also, I promise there's an actual plot eventually  
> And one more thing. I'm looking for a beta reader. Any takers?


	5. At the top of the world

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max remembers ghosts, and shares a few with Furiosa. Dag shows Max the gardens.

Max didn’t say anything as they walked back to her room, seemingly lost in thought. Once they were in Furiosa looked at him.  
“You want to keep the same sleeping arrangement from last night?”  
“If you don’t mind. But I…I’m worried I’ll wake up and not know where I am. I might try to attack you.”  
“I know. I can handle that, don’t worry.” She stretched and started unbuckling her arm. Max sat down on the edge of the bed.   
“Did you get aloe?”   
Furiosa paused, surprised that he had remembered. Surprised at the earnest concern in his voice. She smiled.  
“Yeah.”   
Sleep came easily again, Max’s back against hers.   
She woke up some time in the night to Max muttering. He was repeating a name she couldn’t quiet make out, shaking. A moment late she felt him start awake, breath ragged.   
“Max?” She flipped over so she was facing him. “Are you alright?”  
“Yes. No. Sorry to wake you up.”  
“It’s alright." She considered a moment before forging ahead. “Who were you dreaming about…you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.   
The moonlight threw shadows over his face, and she waited. Max gave a shuttering sigh.  
“She was my girl…” he looked at her, looked away, and then found her eyes again. “My little…my daughter.”  
She said nothing, just waited. Letting the silence speak for her. They understood each other best that way. He took a deep shuttering breath and shook his head in the way he always did.   
“She was killed. Run down. She went under the wheels.” His voice cracked at the edges.  
“I’m sorry.” There was nothing else to say. He shook his head again, grunted.  
“Not your fault.”   
She remembered when Angharad had fallen. Remembered his voice, and his eyes when he turned to her. She went under the wheels. He had said it then as well. His voice strained, his eyes haunted. Another piece of the puzzle slid into place. Another life lost. Another girl crushed under the wheels. Another death which he blamed himself for. She lay her hand on his arm, meeting is eyes and finding them brimming with tears he wouldn’t allow himself to shed. He cleared his throat.  
“There were others. I had others I loved before her. She was the last though. The last thing. The thing that sent me over the edge.”  
She didn’t ask him to tell her about the others. He would when he was ready. If he was ever ready. For now she took his hand, and they slept.   
When she woke up in the morning Max had his arms wrapped around her, face buried in the space between her shoulder and neck. She froze, unsure what to do. It wasn’t unpleasant. In fact, she found a strange comfort tin it. She tried not to move, but even her slight shift woke Max, who opened his eyes and tensed.   
“Wh-“ The sleep cleared, and he pulled away, a look of what might have been embarrassment coming over his face. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to-“  
“It’s fine Max. I don’t mind.” Miss Giddy had once told her that she should find comfort where she could. She closed her eyes, feeling a sudden painful stab as she remembered the old woman. Very few remembered her as the hero she deserved to be lauded as. But her words were true, and Furiosa didn’t pull away. “Find comfort where you can Max.”   
Xxxxxxxxxxx  
“Have you seen the gardens?”  
Max started, turning away from the high window he had been staring out of. Dag was behind him, holding Keeper in her arms.  
“No. I haven’t.”  
“Well you’ve been missing out. C’mon.”  
“Ax!” Keeper waved her arms and reached towards him. “Ax mama!”  
“That’s right Keeper. And he’s coming to the gardens with us.”   
Max followed quietly. Watching the way Dag handled her daughter. She looked back at him.  
“How have people here been treating you?”  
“Fine. They avoid me mostly. The little ones are curious though. But I think they’re afraid I’ll bite.”  
“Who wouldn’t be? You look like you bite.”   
The gardens were on top of the world, the green at the peak of the Citadel that he had only glimpsed from far away. He remembered his mad dash through the hallways, hurling himself into open space and seeing the green as he swung helplessly. The first he had seen in a lomg while. And now he was there. The sky was shockingly blue, and the sun shone down mercilessly. But it was surprisingly cool up here, a breeze stirring his hair. He reached out and touched the leaf of a tree, marveling at its existence. He could see rows of plants, trees, complicated aqueducts, and railings to stop a carless step from sending someone off the edge of the world. There was a rope bridge connecting this spire to another. People toiled in the gardens, and others rested in the shad provided by plants. He bit his lip and rubbed his eyes hard, forcing back the emotions he felt bubbling up. Dag glanced at him and smiled.  
“Come on, there'a a pace we can sit. You can help me with Keeper.” She led him to a small fruit tree away from the crowds. It was shady and peaceful under the tree, with the sound of chatter bubbling nearby. Dag settled down and patted the ground next to her. Max obeyed.   
“I’m guessing you haven’t seen green like this for a long while.”  
“Yeah. There isn’t anything like this out there.”   
“But you're still gonna leave.”  
“I’m still going to leave. “  
“Will you come back?”  
“Dunno.”   
“You’re still not very talkative.”  
“Guess not.” He watched Keeper get unsteadily to her feet and toddle a few steps forward before sitting down with a delighted coo. “How long has she been walking?”  
“Awhile now. She started early.”  
“Once they start walking you’re always on edge. They never stop. So much energy.” He watched Keeper for a moment before glancing at Dag, who was watching him carefully.  
“Yeah. She never stops.”  
“You’d think the worry would get less when they get older, but it doesn’t. Once you have a kid, worry’s a lifetime gig. That’s not a bad thing though.” He closed his eyes briefly. He was sharing too much. Dag just rested her hand lightly on his arm and smiled at him.  
“I guess that’s just the way huh?”  
“Yeah.”   
Keeper ran back towards them, laughing a small flower clutched in her hand. She leaned up to her mother’s ear and whispered something. Dag smiled and turned towards Max.  
“She wanted me to ask you if you’d like this flower.”  
He felt his heart clench, remembering a little girl making him a garland of flowers that were really weeds. Setting it on his head and kissing his nose.   
“I’d love it. Thank you.” He held his hand out, and the girl placed the crushed petals in his hand, smiling.  
“Pretty?” she bit her lip.  
“Very pretty.” And before that, a woman with eyes that sparkled, holding a flower in the doorway. You’re crazy. He tucked the flower into his pocket. “Thank you.”   
“Please and tank you.” She looked at him seriously, and then proceeded to sit down in his lap. “You Osa’s friend.”  
“Yes.”  
“My friend?”  
“Sure. I’m your friend too.”   
“Yay. New friend.” With that she settled down and lay her head din the crook of his arm, closing her eyes. Max felt a pain behind his eyes, and he shut them, turning away form Dag until the dampness passed.   
“She’s talking a lot.” He didn’t know what else to say. Dag nodded.  
“Yeah, she just started recently. But I guess she listened for a long time. Up until about last year she didn’t say a word, and then suddenly she won’t stop.   
“She always this charming?”  
“Heh, no. But she likes you. You’re good with her. I can’t believe she’s asleep. That never happens. Did you drug your coat or something?”  
“Not to my knowledge.”   
A few moment minutes of silenced passed. Dag focused on drawing something in the dirt, and Max watched the sky. Hoping to see birds. To his surprise he saw bees buzzing among the flowers. He’d thought they were all gone. He felt like he should say something, so he cleared his throat.  
“What do you do here?”  
“Huh?”  
“I mean, do you have any sort off job? Do you help them run this place?”  
“Oh. Yeah, I’m on the counsel. Furiosa was in charge for the first bit of time, but once things calmed down, she stepped back. She still leads patrols, and has more of a hand than she'd like. I’m also in charge of seeds. I guess…I guess you could call me the Keeper of the seeds. Passing on the old torch. And of course I’ve got Keeper to look after. Although she’s pretty much a communal baby.”  
“It’s…good here. You have something…”  
“Yeah. There’s a long way to go. We have trouble brewing in the wastes, and the truces with the Bullet Farm and Gastown are still shaky. Plus it’ll take a lot more time to change the ideas that this place was run on. You can't just snap your fingers and fix what’s so broken. But I think we have a good start. I think we can make this place great.”  
“That’s…I hope that’s true. I think it is.”  
“Well coming from you that’s something. You’re not the optimistic type.”  
“Not naturally, no.”  
“Eh, it’s almost lunch. Thanks for the time Max. It’s Capable's turn next.”  
“What?”  
“Well, I mean it looks like each of us is getting some one on one time with you. Works out nice I’d say. From a narrative perspective. So you still owe Capable and Cheedo. Now come on, let’s see what ungodly brew they’ve made this time.”  
Max stood carefully, still holding the sleeping Keeper, and followed Dag back inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks all, and much love. Ah Max's past. Not sure what the canon is anymore. Did Jesse and Sprog exist? Did Miller change Sprog into a girl? Or did the girl come along later? Is she supposed to be Max’s daughter (I think yes, she calls him da.) Anyway, I’m purposely vague, because I don’t want to discount anything. So your own head canons are welcome. The only sure thing I have is that the little girl is his daughter. I don’t know if she was Sprog, or if Sprog came before. Regardless, it’s making me sad.   
> Drop me a line. Plot coming soon:)


	6. In memory of the fallen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Furiosa shows Max her favorite place. Capable and Max discuss those they lost.

“Hey boss, your man is looking for you.”  
Furiosa turned away from the car she had been working on and wiped the grease off her hands.  
“And who would that be Ace?”  
“You know the one.” He crossed his arms, leaning against the doorframe. Furiosa had never told him out loud that she was glad he had survived. But Ace knew. After all, she could have killed him when he tried to choke her. Instead she had just broken is nose with her gun and pushed him off the Rig. And miraculously he had found his way back to the Citadel, after all the shit had gone down. It had taken awhile, but they had settled back into their old ways. He called her boss, and even seemed to trust her. Just like old times, except they weren’t serving a tyrant. It was taking time for Ace to get used to it.  
“Bandages looking good.” She pointed to his neck. Cheedo and Mica had been wondering about trying to treat the tumors. They had ideas, and they were trying. Time would tell how well it worked. Everyone knew that it wouldn’t add much to the half-lives lives. But maybe a bit. Ace had lived longer than most as it was.  
“Alright, well tell him I’m here.”  
“He’s right behind me, followed me here. I just went faster.”  
A moment later Max poked his head around the door, looking slightly disgruntled. He threw glare at Ace before seeing her.  
“You alright?” She bit back a smile  
“Yeah. Fine. I was just looking for you.”  
“You have a good afternoon?”  
“Yeah. Dag showed me the gardens.”  
“Good. Care to help me with this car?”  
He nodded and joined her. Ace turned a snort into a cough.  
“I’ll leave you to it,”  
“That one,” Max gestured at Ace’s receding back. "Doesn’t like me.”  
“He’s like that.”  
“So what’s wrong with this car?”  
“Eh. Just a wreck we salvaged. Left from the battle of Fury Road. We got most of them a while ago, but this one was covered up well. We just found it about a week ago. Did Keeper fall asleep on you again?”  
“Yeah.”  
“We got some supplies for you, fixed up your car.”  
“Thanks. I’ll leave day after tomorrow.”  
Furiosa nodded. She didn’t ask if he planned on coming back. She didn’t want to know. She realized she was afraid he’d say no.  
“All the...the War Boys. They been adjusting alright?”  
“As well as to be expected. It helps that they already had a lot of respect for me. But I wish they’d start to move past their need to follow. But that’s going to take awhile. They need to have a leader. They aren’t War Boys anymore though. At least we don’t call them that.”  
“Ah. And the little ones?”  
“The pups? We’re trying to help them grow up. Cheedo, Jag, Mica, Ringer, and a few others have taken that in hand. Capable and the ex War Boys help as well. Cheedo loves the pups. She’s started teaching them. In the room that used to be the vault. The history room. They love her. They love her stories. She’s good at it. She’s growing up here.” Furiosa smiled. “She’s going to be a great woman.”  
“You sound proud.”  
“I am. Before…I could never allow myself to get close to them. I couldn’t allow myself to get close to anyone. I’m not proud of who I was. But I become Imperator Furiosa to survive. When we escaped…they trusted me, but we weren't friends, per say. We would protect each other, and work together, and yes, there was a lot of care and trust between the girls and I. But I wasn’t someone they’d ask to braid their hair, you know what I mean? Now though... I’m learning. Our relationship's become more than it was. I can allow myself to get close to them. They…mean a lot to me. People say I saved them, but I think that it was the other way around. They saved me. They reminded me who I was.” She paused. “Eh, I’m talking too much.”  
“No. I don’t mind. I’m glad that you’re…I’m glad that you found your redemption.”  
“Have you?”  
“No. Not yet.”  
They worked in silence, not needing to speak to understand what the other wanted.  
“Lord Furiosa?”  
“Just Furiosa.” She sighed and stood up, turning towards the new voice. Guzz and Alinna, inseparable as always. Guzz smiled, running his hand through the fuzz that had begun to grow on his head.  
“Right. Just Furiosa. Sorry boss. Alinna and I were wondering-“  
“He was wondering. He just wanted me to come along.” Alinna bit her lip.  
“Right. Well I was wondering, and Alinna came along.”  
“Yes. And what were you wondering?”  
“Well we were wondering…since we were the ones who found this car…” he looked at the ground and scuffed his feet. Alinna piped up.  
“We want to work on it. “  
“I don’t bite. Yes, of course you can. We were about to take a break anyway.”  
“Really? You don’t mind?”  
“No.” She smiled. “Just don’t explode anything this time.”  
“Right thing boss!”  
She stood and stretched, looking at Max, who shrugged and went to follow her. The two young people watched him curiously, but looked away when he noticed. Max raised an eyebrow, and once they were out the door, cleared his throat.  
“Guzz and Alinna?”  
“They came up with the names themselves.” Capable had helped them figure out the names. Taught them how they could write them out. Alinna had decided that two n’s looked pretty, and that she liked i better then e.  
“Just kids.”  
“Yeah. Guzz was a War Pup, almost a War Boy. A mechanic. Alinna is his sister. She was left behind with the people we used to call the wretched when Joe's men took her brother. Their mother hid her. Didn’t want Joe to take her. But they found her. They were bringing her up on the lift the day Joe discovered we had escaped. She was going to be a wife.” Alinna had told her about the fear. The confusion and awe as they took her up on the lift. And the terror as all the cars roared away, leaving her locked up. Mica had looked after her in that brief time. Once Alinna had learned what awaited her when Joe came back, she had decided she would hurl herself off the edge. But Joe never came back. Alive anyway. Furiosa shook herself. “They’re good kids. Alinna’s full life. Guzz isn’t.” She sighed. Too soon. So many taken too soon.  
“So where are we going on this break?”  
“Top of the world. Where else?”  
“The gardens?”  
“Of a sort.”  
She smiled when Max followed her without question. Dag had jokingly likened it to having a dog. It had been hard to stop the waves of good-natured laughing after that. She hoped they might find an actual dog someday. All the big animals around here had been hunted, or run off to better places. Even birds were rare.  
“You like dogs Max?” It was a strange question, she realized. He raised an eyebrow.  
“Yeah. Used to have one. Dog.”  
“One dog?”  
“Dog was his name.”  
“You named your dog Dog.”  
“Yes.”  
“Why am I not surprised? You ever see any animals, out in the wastes?”  
“Nothing big for awhile. But in the past…yeah. You looking?”  
“I tell my patrols to bring back any animals they find. Alive. You never know. In the... the green place, when I was a girl, we had some animals. Chickens, pigs, a few dogs. Even some cats.”  
“I have a hard time even remembering what a cat looks like.”  
Furiosa glanced at him, and he smiled.  
“I remember that I’m allergic to them though.”  
She snorted, and stopped, trying to remember where she was. After a moment, she went on, finally finding the small door she was searching for.  
“Here we are.”  
Past the door was her favorite place in the citadel. A small balcony carved into the side of the cliff, it opened into the air, looking down at the world below. She had set mats on the floor, and the girls had helped her fill clay pots with soil and plant the seeds, now blooming into vines and even flowers. Cheedo had beamed, delighted in the small joy of growing something for fun. The little balcony was a garden in the sky, just shaded enough, but open to patchs of warmth. Furiosa smiled at Max.  
“It’s a good place to think. Or not to.” She settled down on one of the mats, and Max joined her, squinting his eyes against the sun and looking out at the sky. He reached out and touched one of the flowers. She found herself enjoying his small delights. His awe in the water in her room, his fingers gently brushing petals.  
“Sometimes I read up here. I learned a long time ago.”  
“I used to know how. Now I don’t know if I could anymore.”  
They fell silent, looking out at the clouds and letting the breeze cool them. At some point Max began running his fingers through her hair, twisting the locks around gently and letting them go. Neither of them said anything. Not then and not when she leaned her weight against Max's side. They fell asleep like that, remarkable as it was for them to sleep. It was peaceful in the garden on top of the world.  
Xxxxxxxxxx  
“Max?”  
He turned around and found himself face to face with Capable. She had a smudge of engine grease across her chin.  
“Sorry to startle you.” She looked concerned. He still started in panic when someone said his name.  
“No. S’fine. What do you need?” He remembered her on the road. A pillar for her sisters, who leaned on her as they slept. He remembered her tangled with the boy, Nux. Looking at the stars and taking his hand and whispering hope into his ears. He had been good kid. Good kids rarely lasted in this world. She cleared her throat.  
“Well, Furiosa said you’re leaving soon. And Dag told Cheedo and I that we had to get in our own one on one time with you.” She laughed. “Not that it’s a chore. She just seems to think that it’s absolutely necessary. And it’s true we haven’t had a chance to talk one on one. Though it’s not like you say too much. But I figured I'd keep you company, help you get your things sorted into your car.” She gestured at the mess he had created while trying to figure out how to pack the supplies Furiosa had given him.  
“Thanks.” He smiled at her as best as he could and shrugged. “You don’t have to help though. I’ll talk to you anyway.”  
“I’m not good at just sitting around. Here, you’re packing those in a weird way. If you do this it’ll be much better.” She gently took the block of rations from him and lifted the other hre had had managed to shove in, carefully stacking them.  
“Much more room that way.” He nodded.  
“Yes well, you were just piling it up. Is that how you always travel?”  
“More or less.”  
“Then you had better come back soon.” She looked at him hopefully.  
They worked out a system where Max would hand her things and she’d sort them.  
“Do you think about what happened a lot? Out on fury road in the Rig?”  
“Yeah…”  
“I still can’t believe we survived…. well, some of us.” A look of deep sadness filled her eyes, and her voice got soft. “Angharad would love what we’ve made here. She’d work so hard to make it even better.”  
“Brave. She was brave. And determined, from what I could tell. I wouldn’t have wanted to cross her.” He handed her another tankard of guzzling, and she laughed.  
“Yeah. She could be scary…and when she talked, it was like…like you were being swept up by a river. You wanted to stand up proud when she talked. You wanted to fight. We all loved her…she took care of us. She helped give us strength. I forget she’s gone sometimes. I wonder what it would be like if she was here. And her baby. You know, sometimes I wish it had been me who had gone under the wheels.”  
“Yeah?”  
“Yeah. It’s useless to waste my time thinking that, but you can’t help but think it, y’know?” Her eyes were damp but hard as rock, and her hair caught the sun like fire. He nodded.  
“I know. But they need you too…your sisters do. And the rest of em…Furiosa says you look after the War Boys.”  
“Ex War Boys.”  
“Right.”  
“I help them. They call me the Mother of War Boys sometimes.” She smiled. “I don’t mind that.”  
“The kid...Nux. You helped him.” She had saved him. But he didn’t know how to say that. She seemed to understand though. She closed her eyes briefly.  
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring up bad memories.”  
“No. It’s fine. I just wish…we lost so much out there. And not jut us. A lot of boys died out there. And Angharad. And so many of the Vuvalini. And yes, Nux. I know he was sick. And I…I know he died well. Or that’s what they always say. But I wish he could of died in peace instead of in a mess of grinding metal. He sacrificed himself for us. I think about that a lot.”  
Max remembered them curled up together on top of the rig, looking at the stars. It was amazing how close people could become in a short time. Life or death situations tended to do that. Or the opposite.  
“I made a memorial for him. And for Angharad. And the Vuvalini. And everyone who died out there. Would you like to see it?”  
He nodded, followed her out of the small chamber and through endless halls until they came to an unassuming door with a circle painted on it.  
“It’s not much.”  
The door opened onto a small, dark room, the walls cool stone, with a sliver of light coming in from a high slit in the wall. It shone down on the tower she had built, made of scrap metal and salvaged wood, hide and pieces of bikes and cars. He saw old engines mixed in, a few wheels. To his surprise he saw what looked like the front of the war right at the base. She saw him glance at it.  
“We salvaged a lot. Had to. The rig was in bad shape, but they rebuilt it. We never found any bodies. Scavengers got to them. But I made this for all of them. I put things I thought they’d love. That little flowerpot with the purple blooms, Cheedo helped me with that. So Angharad could have a green place in here. And feathers, and…well, I won’t bore you. I just thought they all deserved something.  
Max looked at it, feeling a moment of sadness wash over him. It reached high, strangely beautiful. He noticed a boot sticking off of a gear stick. Capable smiled.  
“For Nux.”  
They sat down at the foot of the alter, watching the particles of dust floating in the beam of light. It was peaceful in here. The sounds of the rest of the world blocked out. He glanced at Capable.  
“You did them all justice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up we get Cheedo bonding, and then plot. I just had to get Max bonding with all the wives  
> Hope it didn't seem to forced.  
> I just have a lot of feelings.  
> You'll ntopcie that in "Fury Road" there is a strange female figure standing on the lift at the start of the movie, when they're throwing people off. She's lookign around. I was always curious who she was. Turns out that she was supposes to be a potential wife. I wanted to give her a story. You know it must have beeb crazy for her. Haha, Guzz and Alinna. It' a bad pun. But they like pad puns  
> No matter what I consider Dog canon. Dog for life!  
> Anyway, come say hi to me on tumblr  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/belovedblabber


	7. Parting words

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Max spends one more day in the citadel, but the wastes are calling and some voices won't leave his head.

“Good morning Max!” Cheedo smiled at him, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.   
“Morning. Your turn?” He raised an eyebrow, tilting his head. Cheedo nodded and took hold of his hand without any warning, pulling him along behind hre through the citadel.   
“If you don’t mind that is.” She glanced back at him, and he shook his head.  
“Not at all. You've already decided that i'm coming anyway.”  
As they hurried through the Citadel several people called out to Cheedo, and she stopped to talk to each of them. A group of pups ran up to her, calling her name, and she knelt to speak to them, carefully adjusting buttons and tucking hair behind ears. One of them pointed at Max and whispered something in her ear. Cheedo laughed.  
“Yes. He’s Furiosa’s wanderer. The famous Max.”  
“Oh! You’re a big hero." The kid looked up at him earnestly, and he shifted.  
“Is that what they say?”  
“Yeah!” a gap toothed girl nodded earnestly.  
“Alright you all. Go along. I’ll see you later.” Cheedo shooed them on and tugged Max behind her again. He saw ex war boys carrying small children in scarred arms, and even a few people laughing. It had changed.   
“Furiosa treating you well?” She bit her lip.  
“Yes.” The night before she hadn’t turned her back to him. They had slept facing each other, arms tangled. Comfort in closeness against all odds. The first morning he had woken up holding her it had been an accident. But she hadn’t pulled away, and neither had he, and that seemed to set off a silent agreement. And now he was leaving.   
“You coming Max?” The girl’s eyes were wide and innocent as she called to him, and he stopped short, trying to still the images of her falling. It took long moment for him to realize that it had been Cheedo speaking, and not a ghost.  
“Max?” there was concern in her eyes. He shook his head.  
“Sorry. I’m coming.” The voices were worrying at the edges of his mind, and he was seeing faces of the dead when he turned a corner. He had regained some of his sanity out on the fury road, but there was a lot left to recover.   
He followed her in silence, trying to calm his breathing.   
“This used to be where we were kept.” She gestured to a circular opening, covered by a curtain. The shape reminded him of something from the old world. “We tore the old doors down. And we made it our history room. It won’t ever be a prison again.”  
A pool of water rippled in the center, and a glass dome filled the room with light. Green grew around. There were words on the wall when he entered. We are not things. Words on the floor. Our babies will not be warlords. Who killed the world? Words of revolution. Cheedo smiled  
“We wanted to leave those. They're part of all of this.”  
Much of the wall was covered in words and images. And the dyes lying around suggested a work in progress. To his shock he saw a pile of books. He had almost forgotten books. Cheedo pointed to a portion of the wall.  
“There you are. And Furiosa. And all of us.”   
He stared at the images and the words. Warrior, revolution, Immortan dead.   
“Impressive. You helped with all this?”  
“Yeah. A lot of it was my idea. Here, sit down.” She patted the ground, and he joined her, letting the sun warm his face.   
“It’s hard to be back in here sometimes. But we’ve made it ours. It’s a way of rebellion I think. We can’t let ourselves be afraid of the past.”  
“Hard not to be.”   
“Yes. Yes it is.” She looked at him and briefly took his hand “But it’s not impossible. You know, back when it all happened, I tried to run. You remember? I was so scared. I’m still scared. But my sisters looked out for me. They understood that we couldn’t go back. And I realized it too. But there isn’t shame in fear. I spent my life being told I was special. Kept. Precious. But they never told me that I was my own. Not till Angharad. Not till all of my sisters.”  
“Out there on the road, it’s a hard place to have to learn about the world. Most would have wanted to go back. It’s a hard world."  
They sat for a while before he cleared his throat.   
“Out there in the race to the pass, you got the big one-“  
“Rictus.”  
“Rictus. You got Rictus to take you. So you could help Furiosa.” He smiled. “That, was smart.”  
She smiled a wide, proud, young smile and nodded.  
“Yeah. I guess it was. He underestimated me. A lot of people underestimated me.”  
“And it looks like everyone who underestimated you is dead.” He tilted his head, allowing another small smile. Cheedo let out a peel of laughter and tucked her hair behind her ear.  
“Well when you put it that way…yeah, I suppose that’s true.”  
She had grown, he thought. Grown into herself.   
“He wasn’t like Joe though. Rictus didn’t deserve to die. He wasn’t…he had the mind of a little child. And Joe treated him awful. He was like a kid. He wasn’t sweet. He was scary. Because he was huge and he was deadly and he didn’t understand it. But Miss Giddy always told us that he was a sweet little boy. His mother was one of Joe’s wives. She loved him and they all loved him and for a long time they cared for him. Joe let him stay with them, even if he took him out to see once he was old enough. But Miss Giddy said soon you could tell something wasn’t right. He used to play in the dome. He wanted baby brothers and sisters. He pressed his ears to pregnant stomachs and smiled, and he cried when they were lost. Because they always were... We were all Joe’s victims one way or another. I wish that more people could have lived through it all.”   
Max didn’t say anything, just nodded to show that he’s heard.   
“There were so may before us. So many women Joe forced to be wives. You can see what they left behind. Names carved into walls, written in books. Words and poems and bits of grief and anger and rebellion and love. Sometimes I think I hear their voices at night. Mixed with the wind.” She looked so sad as she spoke, and he felt a tug of strange affection. And understanding. Awkwardly, he reached out and patted her hand. She looked at him in surprise and smiled. They sat like that for a long time.   
“So you’re leaving tomorrow.”  
“Yeah.”  
“Do you think you’ll come back?”  
“Don’t know.”  
“Furiosa will miss you. We all will.”  
He didn’t know what to say to that. He hadn’t expected this warm welcome. He just nodded.   
“Come on than. I say we go to the gardens. Make your last day pleasant. Show you some green.”  
He followed her, leaving behind the history room and its ghosts. Out and up, until they reached a bridge swaying in the air. Max looked down.   
“It’s not that hard to cross as long as you don’t look down.” Cheedo smiled. “I was the first of my sisters who stepped out on these. It’s intimidating. But it makes you feel free. Like a bird. Like you can fly away.” She stepped out easily, and Max followed, letting the wind stir his hair He didn’t look down, just stared ahead. It did feel like flying. Cheedo bounded ahead, steps light, arms out, hair tossed around by the wind. They reached the other side in no time. And than they were in the gardens, a different tower than the one Max had gone to last time. People worked to coax things out of the earth, and Cheedo led him to a distant corner at the edge of the gardens. Only a railing stood between them and thin air. There weren’t many people over here. To his surprise Furiosa was there, kneeling before a plot of earth, hands in the ground and dirt on her nose, pouring water out of an old teakettle. She looked peaceful and focused, and he smiled. A moment later she glanced up a t him.  
“Ah, Max. So Cheedo got her turn huh?” She seemed content and happy, almost glowing. He smiled and nodded, going to kneel down next to her. Cheedo perched herself on a rock and set her chin in her hands.  
Can I help?”  
“Sure. I’m just weeding, and checking up on the starts.”  
“Right. The weeding I can do. Don’t remember much about plants, but I still know how to pull em up.”  
“We’ll teach you how to help them grow again Max.” Cheedo met his eye. “It’s not so hard, really.”   
He nodded, gestured at the ground.  
“For now just the pulling. Which ones do you want gone?”  
“These scraggy ones. No, not those, these. Yeah. Just make a pile over there.” Furiosa took his hand briefly when she pointed the weeds out, setting it on the correct plants. She didn’t seem to notice. Max nodded and Cheedo spoke up again.  
“We’ll teach you to grow things though, when you come back.”  
Max pulled up one of the shoots and let the dirt get under his nails. Good dark soil. He said nothing in return.   
Xxxxxxxxxxx

He left the next morning, just as the sun began to rise. Furiosa had known he was leaving, but it took a moment for her to realize when she woke up. They said nothing as they walked down to his car. He was dressed and ready for the road, eyes far off. When they reached the dock where they were keeping the car, his eyes widened in surprise to see the girls, along with Ringer and Darana and Mica, who had always been an early riser. He looked at Furiosa and she shrugged. She hadn’t arranged this, although she had suspected as much.   
“We just came to see you off, no to tie you down and make you stay.” Dag was holding Keeper, who was still groggy with sleep. The girl looked up when she saw Max, and waved.   
“Right. Thanks.” He nodded, a flicker of deep emotion in his eyes.   
Ringer stepped up to him and shook his hand.  
“Good luck out there.”  
He nodded.  
“Good luck from me as well.” Darana shook his hand, and Mica looked him in the eye.  
“My sisters are all asleep, but I figured I’d wish you off as well. It was a pleasure meeting you, even if we barley talked.”  
“Yeah. Likewise. Thanks.” He let an awkward smile tug at his lips and then glanced at Furiosa, looking mildly panicked. She shrugged.   
“Out turn now mate.” Dag smiled, and the girls moved to surround him, in tandem as always. There was a long moment where they seemed to be sizing him up, and he stared back. Cheedo was the first to move, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around him. Max froze, looking at Cheedo and than at the wall, and the floor, and back to Cheedo, who hadn’t let go. Finally, he awkwardly brought one arm up and held it stiffly around her waist, barley touching her.   
“Ahm, take care of yourself kid...Cheedo. take care of yourself Cheedo.”   
She sniffed loudly and looked up at him, mouth set and eyes damp.  
“You have to come back. Take care of yourself as well. Don’t you dare get hurt.” She finally pulled away, brushing her hair behind her ear.   
“Well we can’t top that.” Dag smiled, wrapping an arm around Cheedo and took Max’s hand, pulling him into a brief sort of side hug. Keeper reached out to Max, and Dag handed her off, letting her dangle from his neck until he brought his arms up to hold her.   
“You take care Keeper. Look after your mum.” He smiled at Dag when he handed Keeper back. Toast shook his hand and smiled up at him.  
“Don’t damage the goods out there Max. And come back here when you need repairs.”   
“And try to pack your stuff better.” Capable put her hand on his shoulder and looked at him seriously before smiling. “Don’t let the past drag you down okay?”   
He nodded, and maybe it was a trick of the light but his eyes seemed damp. That was when he turned to Furiosa.   
“Be safe Max.” She met his eyes. He waked forward quickly, pressing his forehead to hers like they had when he first came back.   
“You too.”   
They stood still like that for a long time. Max buried his face in her neck, and she set her hand on the back of his head, closing her eyes.  
They pulled apart after a while, and Furiosa ignored the looks that the girls were giving her.   
Max was gone before the sun was fully in the sky, and Furiosa watched until she couldn’t see his car anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi. I have a full time job now, so updates might be slower.  
> Much love, and drop me a line.

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi to me on tumblr!  
> https://www.tumblr.com/blog/belovedblabber


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